


it's up to you and it's up to me, no one can say what we get to be (so why don't we rewrite the stars? maybe the world could be ours tonight)

by pixel_perfect



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, the greatest showman au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:07:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22485295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixel_perfect/pseuds/pixel_perfect
Summary: Rina The Greatest Showman AU
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	it's up to you and it's up to me, no one can say what we get to be (so why don't we rewrite the stars? maybe the world could be ours tonight)

Ricky Bowen doesn’t really know what he’s getting himself into when Mr. E.J. Caswell offers him a job in his circus. All he knows is that he’s ready for a change. He wants to be his own person and not live in his father’s shadow and truth be told, it’s an offer he can’t refuse. What he doesn’t know is that the universe has something planned, something unexpected

She’s flying in the air when their eyes meet and Ricky Bowen swears time stands still. Their eyes lock on one another. His breath hitches and he gets a chill down his spine. Everything is in slow motion. She is elegant and poised and beautiful. She is art. She is Gina Porter. 

Mr. Caswell catches his eye and smiles. “That is Gina Porter. Her and her brother are trapeze artists. The circus life is all they’ve ever known.”

Ricky swallows slowly and tries to collect himself. He turns to face Mr. Caswell and adjusts his collar. Gina Porter, what a beautiful name. He glances in her direction once more and admires the way her body becomes one with the bar.

“Come with me, Ricky.” Mr. Caswell pats his shoulder and they both head out.

They run into Gina Porter and her brother, Rico. Gina is dusting off her hands and fixing her wig. Ricky doesn’t feel like he’s ready to take such a step and talk to her. He’s nervous.

“Gina, Rico! I want you to meet my newest hire. This is, Ricky Bowen.” Mr. Caswell introduces them.

“Nice to meet you, sir.” Rico shakes his hand and Ricky nods.

Ricky takes Gina’s hand and shakes it gently.

“What is your act, Mr. Bowen?” Gina asks, smiling at him.

“I...I don’t have an act.” Ricky stutters out. His lips feel dry and he swallows hard when she lets out a small laugh.

“Everyone has an act, Mr. Bowen.” She smiles at him and Ricky is mesmerized by her beauty.

She walks away and turns around to find Ricky staring at her.

* * *

Ricky watches Gina practice after he’s done with all of his duties and responsibilities. He sits on the bleachers with his jaw open, as she disappears. She’s so graceful when she’s in the air and the look on her face tells him she really enjoys it. This is her life. A life he wants to become a part of.

* * *

“I have the greatest news, Mr. E.J.!” Ricky runs inside E.J. Caswell’s office with a big smile on his face, waving a piece of paper in the air.

“What is it?” E.J. looks up from his paperwork and puts down a pen.

“You’re going to want to come with me, sir.” Ricky runs to where the others are.

E.J. catches up to him and they and gather everyone to tell them the great news. He scans the room and sees everyone’s eager faces. He clears his throat and waves a piece of paper in the air.

“I hold in my hand an invitation to meet the Queen of England!” Ricky begins with the biggest smile Gina has ever seen.

Everyone cheers and E.J. pulls him into a hug and reads the invitation.

“Is this meant for everyone?” Gina asks and everyone grows quiet.

“Yes, it is. Either we all go or nobody does.” Ricky gazes at Gina and the pair smile at each other.

The day arrives and Ricky introduces E.J. to many important people. Later on in the evening, the group watches a famous singer perform. Ricky sits by Gina and takes her hand, feeling the warmth of her skin on his own. He watches the performance with a smile on his face and wishes he could stay like this forever, with her. He turns and sees his parents a few rows above him and immediately lets go of Gina’s hand. She notices and has an aching feeling in her chest. She walks out and leaves him.

Later on, the group gathers on stage, setting up the last minute adjustments when it’s time for them to perform. Gina takes a deep breath and the music starts to play shortly after. Her body moves to the beat of the music. She counts in her head and glances up to see Ricky watching her with intent eyes. After a few moments, she brushes him off and focuses on her performance. Her and the stage, that’s all that matters.

Ricky thinks about Gina that night and wishes for a better world for them to live in. He’s feeling something for her and although he can’t put a name on it, he knows it’s strong and worth it. He’s known for a while and is sure she feels the same way. He promises to fight for her and be the man she deserves.

* * *

“Mr. Caswell said he left a ticket for me.” Gina informs the ticket clerk, one night while standing outside the theatre.

The man hands her two tickets and she looks at him with furrowed brows and confusion on her face. She picks them up slowly and examines them.

“I’m sorry. I believe there’s only supposed to be one.” Her voice is small as she hands them back.

“No, there’s meant to be two.” Ricky walks up behind her. “I wasn’t sure you’d come if I asked.”

She faces him, but can’t move. “We can’t do this.” She says, looking down at the floor.

“Yes we can.” Ricky takes her hand and the pair begin to walk.

Gina looks up at the flight of stairs and stares longingly as people walk up and down them. Ricky glances at her with wonder. She breaks the silence between them and clears her throat.

“I’ve always wanted to go to the theatre.” Her eyes are bright and full of hope.

“Now you can.” He glances at her with a soft smile. “You deserve it.”

“Ricky, is that you?” The pair is interrupted by Ricky’s parents. Gina sees the looks on their faces. Her stomach is in knots.

“Mother, father. This is Gina Porter.” Ricky is proud when Gina’s name escapes his lips.

“Ricky, how could you...what is inside that head of yours? You can’t be seen out in public with someone like her.” Ricky’s father’s eyes are wide with disgust.

Gina lets go of Ricky’s hand and runs out of the theatre. She refuses to let him see how much his father’s words have hurt her.

“Gina!” He yells after her and turns to look at his parents. “How dare you speak about her like that?” His eyes are hard.

He turns to walk away but his mother grabs his arm. “You forget your place, Ricky.”

“My place?” He furrows his brows and stares at them. “Mother, if this is my place, I don’t want any part of it. Any part of you.”

He leaves the theatre and searches for Gina. He looks for her in every place he can think of, with no luck. He decides to check the circus as the last resort and is relieved when he finds her sitting on the bleachers.

“Gina, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” He kneels down and takes her hand but she snatches it away.

“You’ve found me.” Her voice is a whisper and she avoids eye contact.

There’s silence between them and Ricky wishes now more than ever, to live in a world where they can be together freely without the hatred and the violence that comes with the negative comments she receives. He cups her face and caresses her cheek.

“Gina, they’re small minded people.” He tells her. “Why do you care what they think?”

“It’s not just them.” Her voice is small, she feels helpless knowing that’s just how the world works.

“Then what is it?”

“You’ll never understand.” She shakes her head.

“Then help me!” He tries to reason with her. “I wanna understand, Gina.” He wants so desperately to be a part of her world.

“You never have to live, hating yourself for the way you look.” She buries her face in her hands. “Or question the way people perceive you, knowing that no matter what you do, it’ll never be enough and there’s nothing you can do to change that.”

“Gina...”

“You’ve never had someone look at you the way your parents looked at me. The way everyone would look at us.” Her breath hitches as she gets up to leave.

“I know you’re feeling the same thing I am.”

“What we feel doesn’t matter.” She shakes her head. “You and I don’t belong together and we’re fools for thinking we can be.”

“We do, Gina. We do.” He cups her face.

“The universe isn’t so kind, Ricky. The world, this society will never allow it.” She takes his hands, lets go and walks away.

She stops in her tracks when he starts singing.

_“You know I want you, it’s not a secret I try to hide._ ” He slowly walks towards her as she grabs a rope and continues walking. _“I know you want me, so don’t keep saying our hands are tied_. _You claim it’s not in the cards and fate is pulling you miles away and out of reach from me_.” He places his hand on a pillar in hopes that she'll look at him. " _But you're here in my heart so who can stop me if I decide that you're my destiny?_ " He breaks the distance between them. _"What if we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine. Nothing could keep us apart, you'd be the one I was meant to find."_ Gina puts a barrier between them with the ropes but Ricky places his hands on her waist and pulls her close. _"It's up to you and it's up to me, no one can say what we get to be. So why don't we rewrite the stars? Maybe the world could be ours tonight."_ He spins her and places a hand on her cheek.

Gina pulls the rope, disappearing in the air. He looks up and searches frantically, not knowing where she is. She slowly comes down, her arms wrapped inside a hoop and her legs moving leisurely.

_“You think it’s easy?_ ” She begins to sing. “ _You think I don’t wanna run to you? But there are mountains and there are doors that we can’t walk through_.” She makes it to the ground. “ _I know you’re wondering why, because we’re able to be just you and me within these walls but when we go outside, you’re gonna wake and see that it was hopeless after all_.” She wraps her legs in the hoop as Ricky grabs on with one hand. They’re in the air again, but he loses his grip and lets go.

_“No one can rewrite the stars. How can you say you’ll be mine? Everything keeps us apart and I’m not the one you were meant to find_.” She disappears for a moment and swings in the air, coming in his direction and running into him, knocking them both down. _“It’s not up to you, it’s not up to me_.” She holds on tightly to the rope, pulls and disappears again. He watches her as she grows smaller when she’s in the air. He gets up and grabs the rope so he can stop her. “ _When everyone tells us what we can be_. _How can we rewrite the stars? Say that the world can be ours tonight_.” She comes twirling down the rope, falls into his arms and pulls him close.

_“All I want is to fly with you._ ” They both sing as he grabs her and they both go up in the air. “ _All I want is to fall with you. So just give me all of you_.” She’s on the ground and pulls him towards her.

“ _It feels impossible._ ” She grabs a rope.

“ _It’s_ _not impossible_.” He steadies himself in the air.

“ _Say that it’s possible_.” They sing together. She runs towards him and they wrap their arms around each other’s waists and spin in the air. “ _How do we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine_.” He lets her go, watching her with wonder as she spins around him. “ _Nothing can keep us apart, cause you are the one I was meant to find_.” He runs, desperately trying to find a way to be with her again and begins to climb. _“It’s up to you and it’s up to me, no one can say what we get to be. So why don’t we rewrite the stars_?” He jumps, wraps an arm around her waist and holds on tightly to the rope with his other hand. _“Changing the world to be ours_.” They spin, their bodies pressed together as they gaze into each other’s eyes.

They come back down to the ground, their bodies slowly distancing. “ _You know_ _I want you_ ,” Gina sings. “ _It's not a secret I try_ _to hide. But I can’t have you. We’re bound to break and my hands...are tied._ ” She lets go of his hand, lowers her head and leaves him, standing alone in the building.

* * *

After one of their performance and a nasty comment from a viewer, Ricky steps in to calm the man down.

“Sir, I have to ask you to leave.” Ricky says, determination on his face.

“I’m not going anywhere, kid.” The man steps forward. “It’s you and those freaks that have to leave. You don’t belong here.”

Rico punches the man after such nasty words and the gang come to lend him a helping hand. They throw punches and everything near them, trying to defend the only place they know as home. Havoc breaks loose. Ricky tastes blood, his vision blurry. A man grabs a lamp and throws it against the wall, causing the building to go up in flames. 

Ricky gets up from the ground and helps everyone inside evacuate the building. Smoke builds up in his lungs as he makes his way outside. E.J. joins him, looking at his surroundings and asking if everyone made it out of the building safely.

“Gina...where’s Gina?” Rico yells frantically.

“Gina!” Ricky looks around him and runs inside the burning building when the girl is nowhere to be found.

“Ricky,no!” E.J. yells after as he fades into the flames.

When he doesn’t come out of the building, E.J. runs inside to look for him.

Gina comes running from the opposite direction, into her brother’s arms. Everyone waits anxiously for the men to come out of the building. Gina can’t bare see the flames, knowing Ricky is inside. She hides her face in her brother’s shoulder and prays that Ricky and E.J. make it out safely. Moments later, E.J. comes out, carrying Ricky’s limp body in his arms. He lays him on the ground. Gina gets a sick feeling in her stomach when she sees him.

“He’s taken in a lot of smoke.” E.J. says between coughs. “His breathing is shallow, he needs medical attention.”

Gina watches as Ricky is taken away on a gurney. She feels responsible. The only reason he went in there was to get her out. He thought she was inside.

“Please be okay.” She whispers to herself and closes her eyes.

* * *

“Gina, stop!” Kourtney grabs Gina’s arm, preventing her from going inside the hospital.

“I need to be with him, Kourtney!” Gina angrily wipes a tear that’s rolling down her cheek. “He’s in there because of me!” She points to the building.

“I know you feel responsible,” Kourtney wipes a tear from Gina’s face with her thumb. “But people like us can’t go in and be with people like them. Ricky isn’t like us, Gina.”

“I don’t care!” Gina pushes the girl away and runs inside the building.

She does her best to hide from the nurses while she looks for Ricky. The sick feeling in her stomach returns, when she finds him laying in a bed. His chest is covered in bandages, his face full of bruises. She kneels down beside him, takes his hand in her own and brings it up to her cheek. He looks so fragile and helpless.

“You just had to play hero, didn’t you?” A tear escapes as her voice cracks. “I wasn’t even in the building, Ricky.” She strokes his hair. “Open your eyes, Ricky Bowen. Please, don’t leave me.”

She watches his chest rise and gets up when she hears someone coming. She hides the best she can and counts to ten before returning to Ricky’s side. She sits on the bed, holds his hand close to her heart and sings.

“ _What if rewrite the stars_?” Her voice cracks as she sings softly. “ _Say you were made to be mine. Nothing can keep us apart...you are the one I was meant to find_.”

A small smile forms on Gina’s lips the next morning when Ricky’s finger twitches. He gently squeezes her hand and slowly opens her eyes. Gina’s world turns brighter when his green eyes gaze up at her and he smiles.

“You’re here.” He whispers.

“I’m here. I’ll always be here.” She bends down and places her lips on his, kissing him softly. “Wherever you are, Ricky, that’s where I wanna be.” They continue to kiss, making up for lost time.

* * *

The gang rummage through what’s left of the circus. E.J. welcomes Ricky back with open arms and joy at his recovery. Ricky apologizes to everyone, feeling responsible for what happened.

“This isn’t your fault, Ricky.” E.J. puts a hand on his shoulder. “It’s mine.” E.J grabs everyone’s attention and clears his throat. “I’m sorry, everyone. I let everyone down and now we no longer have a circus.”

“Yet.” Ricky speaks up and looks at everyone.

“What are you talking about, Ricky? Look around you. We have nothing left.” E.J. points at the remains.

“But we will. With time, we’ll rebuild the circus.” Ricky is hopeful, his attitude is contagious and soon enough everyone else is picturing the new circus.

“I don’t exactly have money.” E.J. responds flatly.

“I do.” Ricky steps closer to E.J., putting his hand on the man’s shoulder. “We can use my share of the circus’ profits. The new circus will be better than the one we had before!”

E.J.’s eyes are bright, as are everyone else’s. They have hope. Hope to rebuild the only place they know as home. The only place where they can be themselves and not have to hide or apologize for their appearance.

“On one condition.” Ricky continues talking.

“What is it?” This graba E.J.’s attention.

“You and I, Mr. E.J. become partners.”

E.J. laughs and pulls Ricky into a hug. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Mr. Bowen!” The men shake on it.

Time passes and day by day, the team works on rebuilding the circus. To save money, E.J. and Ricky transform the enterprise into an open-air tent circus. Within several months, the doors to the circus open and people fill up the seats. Ricky welcomes the audience and the performance begins.

The team dances and sings. Ready for what the world will bring. Ready for their new beginning, their new era as a team. A family. After the performance, E.J. calls Ricky into his office and hands him a key.

“Mr. E.J., what’s this for?” Ricky takes the key and examines it.

“It’s the key to your new office. Take care of this place, Ricky.”

“Wait, what?” Ricky turns around as E.J. walks out.”

“I’m giving you full control. The circus is yours now.”

“Mr. E.J., this isn’t what I...”

“It’s what you deserve. Take it.”

Ricky watches as the man disappears. Moments later, Gina walks in the office and finds Ricky sitting down.

“What’s going on?” She questions when she sees that all of E.J.’s belongings are gone.

“Come with me.” Ricky takes her hand and calls a meeting.

“Can I have your attention please?” Ricky stands on the bleachers as everyone stops what they’re doing. “This comes as a surprise but, Mr. E.J. has named me the new owner of the circus.”

The team cheers and Gina runs and hugs Ricky.

“This is a new chapter in our lives. I promise to take care of this place and all of you, my new family.”

“Everyone give it up for, Mr. Ricky!” Rico cheers and the team follow suit.

* * *

“So you’re the new owner, huh?” Gina finds Ricky assembling the trapeze ropes.

“Yeah, I guess I am.” He laughs and gives her a soft kiss on the lips.

“I’m proud of you.” She says, kissing his cheek.

“I’m proud of us.”

She smiles and walks around him. “What is your act, Mr. Bowen?”

“I...I don’t have an act.” He furrows his brows and smiles when he realizes what she’s doing.

“Everyone’s got an act.” She watches him carefully.

“ _I told you we’d rewrite the stars. I said you were made to be mine. Nothing will keep us apart, you were the one I was made to find_.” Ricky pulls Gina, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling the rope, holding on tightly as they fly in the air and shares a kiss, knowing that nothing will keep them apart because they were able to rewrite the stars.

**Author's Note:**

> this idea was brought to you by @chancellorravenreyes on tumblr and i couldn't resist! i'm on tumblr @maad-maxx


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